Unless you are seriously going to spend 2-3 hours a week keeping up on the paint, you do not want a black car. Just take a look at the average black car in the full sun. They look absolutely hideous with all the swirls and scratches from improper washing and a lack of polishing. Take it from someone whose customer base runs about 35% black vehicles, for the 5 minutes it looks good after washing, polishing and waxing, it isn't worth it. You notice I don't have a black car, right?

 

I know the feeling. I have detailed a few cars here, and there. While black cars feel the most rewarding when done, they are also the biggest pain to work on. The amount of work is easily 2x more because all the imperfections pop up more. I have sworn off black cars, but 50%+ of the cars I work on end up being black

 

I hate black cars..when I borrowed my cousins black TL, it was like hell for me...there was a point I would hand wash it 3x a week in the summer..

I'll never buy a black car..

But nothing beats the shine/gloss of a freshly detailed black car.

 

Black cars shining in the sun at day or hideing in the darkness at night is worth it in the end ive never once regreted painting my max black its the best color for the 3rd gen imo

 

Yup, black is a bear to keep up with.

 

nah man its worth it

 

Thank god I don't have a black car.

 

I'd rather constantly clean than pay out the *** for a little paint work because it has a pearl in it. I'm getting my front lip painted body color this spring and got quoted $260. My last car was red and the thats how much the front bumper and lip were.

 

Post a picture of yours in the full sun. Which side does yours really look like?

 

i have a bm1 blue which gets mistaken for black all the time. buuutt, as you can see its paint is b-u-ti-ful!!! dark colored max ftw!!!

 

I like black and haven't really thought that much about the hardship of the upkeep, I've won shows with swirls, so not a biggie for me and apparantly the judges either. Maybe they all had black cars too? I think white cars would be harder to keep imo, but both colors magnify dirt but look nice when kept up on. My next car will either be black or silver.

 

Scott,

I need mine to look like the left side.

My car in the sun look horrible, horrible, horrible. The bumpers look even worse. I need SERIOUS work done on my paint. At least it's serious to me.

 

Black is for pimps. 16 hoes....suckin ten toes

 

Scott-

I had a grey lustre like yours, and many times in less than full sun it was mistaken for black. Same with my majestic blue now!

 

You need a buffer, at least a PC 7424 to make a dent in the swirls. I spent a total of 7 hours just buffing that AMG E63 and that was with a rotary.

Finished out like this:

 

That's a nice mercedes...nice job on it. And yea my paint is covered in salt right now.

 

First Black is not a color. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black Second my Black car is a Pain in the A$$ to keep up. I live in Hawaii and wash/wax at least 2 times a week. Spending at least 2 hours each time to do so. I use a 3 step system at least 2 times a month, which I shouldn't have to. Sux to have to keep this thing up. All of the products out there for waxing and washing suck. At least the stuff sold at common stores like walmart, kmart, sears, etc. I will be buying the Optimum No Rinse stuff I have learned about on here. With my car complete, no one can compete. Black cars are the hottest cars on the road if kept up, hands down.

 

Agreed. I have a black car and as difficult it is to keep clean, when she is, it's smokin! Unfortunately, it doesn't stay that way for very long and that's where the frustration sets in. I live on a dirt road too so my efforts are even more short lived. Next car will be in my favorite color...something in the dark silver/gray spectrum.

 

Sterling Mist FTW

 

for me I don't mind taking the extra effort on my car it makes it worth it in the end. black with black leather is so damn sexy to me...when its warm I wash my car every week and wax her every 2 . during the cold months not as often. but i during the summer I almost look forward to washing my car its like a ritual for me. knowing that I made this car a work of art at least in my eyes is worth the time i put into it. so for anyone who looks at it as a tedious task, i can understand why you don't like it...i look at it as me spending quality time with my car. she takes care of me the same way i take car of her...nuff said

 

 

Well I finally moved away from black. My 2K2 "black on black" 6Spd was total eye candy after I polished it, but simply running your hand across the paint could leave noticable marks in the right light. Nissan also used a very light grey primer, so every little chip and nick left a white spot.

Black has to have it's clear coat wet sanded to flatten the orange peel or it will never look like the Merc in those pics. Soooo the new 09 Max is white with the frost leather and we covered it head to toe in 3M film (who cares about orange peel with a white car). Hopefully this summer I'll be able to spend some weekends in the car instead of painting it or polishing it (my poor PC and Dewalt will hopefully get lonely).

p.s. Used to be a Zaino fan and tried everything under the sun, but wait for it - cheesy I know - but Turtle wax Ice paste (liquid if in a hurry), can make your black paint look two levels darker/deeper, but it leaves your paint prone to finger prints (keep a microfiber towel in your glove box).

 

Trust me, that AMG E63 has a lot of orange peel. What it doesn't have it any swirls so that is why it looks as black and deep as it does.

Just remember, 90% of your shine comes from the polishing and not the wax or sealant you use.

 

You're right. I just looked at the side view of the car and the peel is quite obvious. The flat shot of the hood looks like my Max after I repainted and flattened the clear.

Some of the newer synthetic glazes actually reduce the shine a bit, but also reduce the angle of refraction of light hitting the paint. They also mask some of the microscopic pits which reflect light back as a light color. This gives the impression of more shine (especially with black) because it masks the haze that an all but perfect (or new) clear coat has, resulting in that proverbial wet look. I find the stuff useful on dark cars because of the large surface areas. The bikes I paint get mirror flat finishes and only get machine polish/glaze before they leave.

 

...and no signs of me giving it up soon...!!

Hey - can you guys comment on the quality of the Mercedes Paint vs. the Nissan??
Gawd...I BABY my paint, and no matter WHAT I do - i can't hide the scratches, rock chips, etc, etc.
It's SERIOUSLY amazing that I even bother washing or waxing my 6.5 yr.old car anymore!
Still -- it looks DAMN GOOD for it's age.
I'd be embarrassed to post a picture here....just TOO MUCH damage!

Gotta Admit though....I spend ALOT LESS Time WORRYING about my older car now that's it's showing the age.

gr

 

Pretty much all Mercedes after 2003 use PPG's CeramiClear paint. Very hard paint, pretty resistant to swirls and scratching if you wash it correctly-which means soft mitts/pads to wash and soft, thick nap microfiber towels to dry... same as any other car.

Nissan's paint is actually pretty hard, unfortunately it is also somewhat brittle and chips easy. Either go with a clear bra as soon as you buy it new or live with the chipping-although newer Nissans are a lot better in that regard.

Pretty much anything newer than the late 90s and you need at least a PC 7424 and the proper pads and polishes to correct the paint and make it as swirl and defect free as possible.

 

Same color as mine - and rare! I like it a lot, grows on you.

I used to have a black max though.. wasn't so bad I really washed it maybe once every two weeks.

 

I wouldn't have a black Maxima except the deal on the car was way to good to pass up so I went with it. I would have liked the silver or smoke but I do a lot of my own detailing and don't let anyone else touch her. But yeah it's still hard to keep clean and as soon as a little dust gets on the car every imperfection shows up.

 

never owned a black car, but I had a DJH2 (Black Emerald Green) 3rd gen that was nearly impossible to keep clean, granted I didn't know nearly as much about paint upkeep and restoration as I do now, Dark cars are a lot of work. I have pearl now and it is a ***** to get things repainted, but upkeep is easy and it looks gorgeous in the sun. I was never crazy about black on black (on a third gen anyway), the leather starts getting old and ashy, you can see dirt in the dark carpet no matter how many times you vacuum and wash the rugs in the tub, paint is 15+ years old.



got quoted to get the black around the bottom of my car repainted for $200 w/clear.

 

Finally got around to posting photos of my paint:

 

Ouch! Definitely needs some deep polishing.

 

Scott,

I think I'm going to make you proud(for a rookie ). Dug out the Porter Cable, yellow pad, and Meguiars Deep Crystal Polish. The bumper was easier than the fender:









I still need to work on my seams but overall I'm very happy! I have to thank youtube for this one. I did a search on polishing and some good videos came up.

 

Very Nice! Be careful on the edges or before long you'll be like me, with a SATA painting system, Makita/Dewalt rotarys and the PC for general polishing.

 

What happened to you on the edges? I try not to stay on the edges too long.

 

Even with a rotary you are pretty safe on the edges as long as you watch the rpms and don't linger.

 

After 4-5 years of machine polishing I eventually broke through the clear coat on the edges of mouldings and corner lights. The corners actually started to show the tan base plastic through the black paint, but kept their shine so I don't think they were really base + clear to start with.

By that time I had started painting motorcycles anyways so it wasn't a big deal to repaint the mirrors, corners, fenders and bumpers anyways. The only other mistake I've made was using a rotary (especially on 24 hr old paint) and letting the pad dry out. With the dual action you can polish with a dry pad and it usually won't burn the paint, a rotary at medium to high speed can burn the clear when it dries out, so keep it moist and always have it spinning off the edges never into them. Last point is stop when you get tired - all my mistakes happened late in the day, with one too many beers and tired arms and mind

 

Yea, thank god I dont have a bl- oh, ****. It is black! I couldn't tell through all the swirls.

 

I cant stand looking at my car before 6pm and I can never clean it right but its my second black car and my next will probably be black to Lol I guess I fall under the once you go black you never go back rule! 4 cars and girls to! Lmao!!

 

I didn’t even know Scottwax was over on this forum. I’ve learned a lot from your posts over at Autopia.

I personally love black, it looks like crap for 6 month of the year, but those nicer 6 months I can manage to keep the swirls off.

My general plan of approach for my black lexus this spring is:

Wash:
1Z Perls

Clay:
ONR Lube / clay.

Polish
Menzerna SIP/White Pad
106FF/Gray Pad

Seal:
FK1000P x2 by hand

Wax:
Pinnacle Sovereign x by 1 hand.

Love to hear suggestions.

 

Black is a part time job not a color.

One of my last details a Toyota 4 Runner